The present disclosure is directed generally to air conditioning systems, and, more particularly, to a dual-source air intake air-conditioner including methods and systems for drawing air from different sources into an air-conditioner or air-conditioning (AC) system based on a control logic.
Traditional self-contained air-conditioning (AC) units draw air for cooling solely from indoor (recirculating) air. During peak daytime hours, as shown in Area I of
Also, due to the air-cooling process of an air-conditioner, the dew point of air passing through an evaporator coil drops, thereby losing its ability to retain humidity, which results in water condensate on the evaporator coil. Traditional self-contained AC units eject this condensate water, directing such water away from the AC unit to the outside.
There exists therefore a need for an air-conditioner or an AC unit which collects condensate water from an evaporator coil and stores it in a reservoir, and then pumps, under pressure, the stored water to a spray nozzle located at a condenser coil to increase heat rejection and reduce the energy consumption of the air-conditioner or the AC unit.
Some implementations of the present disclosure were conceived in light of the above-mentioned problems and limitations of air-conditioners or AC units or self-contained AC units or air-conditioners with respect to, for example, access to more than one source of air for intake or access to a system for storing condensate water from an evaporator coil and spraying that water on a condensate coil to increase heat rejection and reduce energy use.
In some implementations, a self-contained air-conditioning unit may draw air from either an indoor source or an outdoor source based on the temperature of air drawn from the respective source at a given point of time. Such air-conditioning units may also collect and utilize condensate water to improve the air-conditioning unit's condenser heat rejection and energy efficiency.
Some implementations may include an air-conditioning system comprising a configurable internal ducting system, wherein the configurable internal ducting system may be configured to draw air from at least one of an indoor source or an outdoor source. In some implementations, the air-conditioning system may include a control logic to determine whether the air is to be drawn from the indoor source or the outdoor source.
In some implementations, the control logic may be configured to reduce energy consumption of the air-conditioning system.
In some implementations, the control logic may cause the air to be drawn from the indoor source when indoor air from the indoor source is cooler than outdoor air from the outdoor source. In some implementations, the control logic may cause the air to be drawn from the outdoor source when outdoor air from the outdoor source is cooler than indoor air from the indoor source.
Some implementations may include an evaporator, wherein the air may be drawn from at least one of the indoor source or the outdoor source through the evaporator. Some implementations may include an interior intake fan, wherein the air from the indoor source may be recirculated through the interior intake fan. Some implementations may include an interior intake fan, wherein the air from the indoor source may be vented out through the interior intake fan. Some implementations may include an exterior intake fan, wherein the air from the outdoor source may be circulated through the exterior intake fan.
In some implementations, the control logic may determine whether the evaporator condensate reservoir is full. In some implementations, the control logic may determine a time during which the evaporator condensate pump should be in operation. In some implementations, the control logic may determine a duration for which the evaporator condensate pump should be in operation. In some implementations, the control logic may determine whether a temperature of the air from the outdoor source is below a predetermined threshold.
Some implementations may include an air-conditioning system comprising an evaporator condensate reservoir to store condensate water collected from one or more evaporator coils of the air-conditioning system. In some implementations, the air-conditioning system may include an evaporator condensate pump to spray the stored condensate water on one or more condenser coils of the air-conditioning system.
Some implementations can include a configurable internal ducting system, wherein the configurable internal ducting system may be configured to draw air from at least one of an indoor source or an outdoor source. Some implementations may include an evaporator, wherein the air may be drawn from at least one of the indoor source or the outdoor source through the evaporator. Some implementations may include an interior intake fan, wherein the air from the indoor source may be recirculated through the interior intake fan. Some implementations may include an interior intake fan, wherein the air from the indoor source may be vented out through the interior intake fan. Some implementations may include an exterior intake fan, wherein the air from the outdoor source may be circulated through the exterior intake fan. In some implementations, the air-conditioning system may include a control logic to determine based on a selection of a user whether the air is to be drawn from the indoor source or the outdoor source.
In some implementations, the control logic may cause the air to be drawn from the indoor source when indoor air from the indoor source is cooler than outdoor air from the outdoor source. In some implementations, the control logic may cause the air to be drawn from the outdoor source when outdoor air from the outdoor source is cooler than indoor air from the indoor source.
Some implementations may include an air-conditioning system comprising a configurable internal ducting system, wherein the configurable internal ducting system may be configured to draw air from at least one of an indoor source or an outdoor source. In some implementations, the air-conditioning system may include an evaporator condensate reservoir to store condensate water collected from one or more evaporator coils of the air-conditioning system. In some implementations, the air-conditioning system may include an evaporator condensate pump to spray the stored condensate water on one or more condenser coils of the air-conditioning system. In some implementations, the air-conditioning system may include a control logic to determine based on a selection of a user whether the air is to be drawn from the indoor source or the outdoor source.
Embodiments were conceived in light of the above-mentioned problems and limitations, among other things. The foregoing general description of the illustrative embodiments and the following detailed description thereof are merely exemplary aspects of the teachings of this disclosure and are not restrictive. The background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of this disclosure. Work of the presently named inventor(s), to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.
In the drawings, like reference numerals designate identical or corresponding parts throughout the several views. Further, as used herein, the words “a,” “an,” and the like generally carry a meaning of “one or more,” unless stated otherwise. The drawings are generally not drawn to scale unless specified otherwise or illustrating schematic structures or flowcharts. A more complete appreciation of this disclosure and many of the attendant advantages thereof will be readily obtained as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
To introduce energy savings, an air-conditioning system (or heat pump or other compression cycle-based HVAC or other apparatus) may include a ducting system that is configured to draw air from either an indoor or an outdoor source. Such air may be drawn through an evaporator coil. The decision on whether to draw the air from the indoor source or the outdoor source may be based on the respective temperatures of the indoor and the outdoor air. The temperatures may be measured using sensors. Valves may be used to switch positions in order to draw the air from the most appropriate energy-efficient source.
During the air-cooling process of an air-conditioning system, the dew point of air passing through an evaporator coil drops and the air loses its humidity, thereby resulting in condensate water forming on the coil. Traditional self-contained air-conditioning systems, e.g., through-wall units, discard/eject the condensate water from the system to direct the condensate water away from the air-conditioning system onto the ground or drain.
Discarding condensate water is a lost opportunity for increasing the energy efficiency of an air-conditioning system. Instead of discarding the condensate water, such water may be collected and stored in a reservoir. This condensate water may be used during peak load conditions, for example, during the conditions shown in Area I of
Alternatively, during evening hours, when the temperature of the outdoor air falls below the temperature of the indoor air (102), the control logic reconfigures the interior air diverter valve (206) to Position B (210) and uses the interior intake fan (204) to vent warmer indoor air outside. In this situation, the control logic reconfigures the exterior intake valve (212) to Position 1 (214) and also switches on the exterior intake fan (218) to draw in the outdoor air.
However, when the temperature of the outdoor air rises above the temperature of the indoor air (104), the control logic reconfigures the interior air diverter valve (206) to Position A (208) and the exterior intake valve (212) to Position 2 (216). In this situation, the control logic also switches off the exterior intake fan (218) in order to keep the outdoor air out of the system.
In some implementations, a user of an exemplary air-conditioning (AC) system may select (504) from one of four modes—a Normal Air-conditioning Mode (512), an ECO Air-conditioning Mode (518), a Recirculate Air Mode (506), and a Fresh Air Mode (540).
In some implementations, in the Normal Air-conditioning Mode (512), the exemplary air-conditioning system will operate as a conventional air-conditioning unit, where the air diverter valves (206) and (212) are configured in Position A (208) and Position 2 (216) respectively, i.e., in Mode 2 (514). In this mode, the AC compressor (224) of the AC system is switched on (516).
In some implementations, in the Recirculate Air Mode (506), the ducting is configured in Mode 2 (508) with the air diverter valves (206) and (212) configured in Position A (208) and Position 2 (216) respectively. In this mode, the compressor (224) of the AC system is switched off (510) and the indoor air is recirculated using the interior intake fan (204), which is switched on. Also, in this mode, the exterior intake fan (218) is switched off to keep the outdoor air out.
In some implementations, in the Fresh Air Mode (540), the ducting is configured in Mode 1 (542), with the air diverter valves (206) and (212) configured in Position B (210) and Position 1 (214) respectively. In this mode, the compressor (224) of the AC system is switched off (544). Also, the interior intake fan (204) is switched on to vent out the indoor air (to the outside) and the exterior intake fan (218) is switched on to draw in the fresh exterior air (from the outside).
In some implementations, in the ECO Air-Conditioning Mode (518), the control logic is enabled to dynamically select the most energy-efficient method and configuration to cool the air based on changes in environmental conditions. This mode configures the positions of the air diverter valves (206) and (212) automatically, without a user's intervention, and determines the most energy-efficient configuration using recorded sensor data (520).
In some implementations of the ECO Air-Conditioning Mode (518), in the first logic processing loop, when a loop counter equals 0 or zero (522), the control logic will proceed to determine whether the outdoor temperature “Tout” (561) is greater than the indoor temperature “Tin” (560) during its process (524). If “Tout” (561) is less than “Tin” (560), a result of “NO” configures the ducting to Mode 1 (526), turns the compressor (224) of the AC system on (528), and adds 1 to the loop counter (530). If “Tout” (561) is greater than “Tin” (560), a result of “YES” configures the ducting to Mode 2 (532), turns the compressor (224) of the AC system on (534), and adds 1 to the loop counter (536).
In some implementations of the ECO Air-Conditioning Mode (518), loopcount (522) may not equal 0 and a determination of “NO” may occur if it is not the first loop in the logic processing. The purpose of this branch is to include hysteresis in the control logic to avoid excessive changing between Mode 1 and Mode 2, when “Tout” (561) fluctuates within a range of “Tin” (560), where the range is determined by the hysteresis value. In some implementations, if the answer to whether Mode=1 (538) in this branch is “YES”, a determination of whether “Tout” (561)>“Tin” (560)+hysteresis value (548) is made. If the result of this determination is “YES”, then the ducting is configured to Mode 2 (550) and the compressor (224) of the AC system is turned on (552). If the determination of whether “Tout” (561)>“Tin” (560) +hysteresis value (548) results in “NO”, then the branch terminates at “END” (558) and a new loop commences at “START” (502).
On the other hand, in some implementations, if the first component of this branch determines that the answer to whether Mode=1 (538) is “NO”, a determination of whether “Tout” (561)<“Tin” (560)—hysteresis value (546) is made. If the result of this determination is “YES”, then the ducting is configured to Mode 1 (554) and the compressor (224) of the AC system is turned on (556). If the determination of whether “Tout” (561)<“Tin” (560)—hysteresis value (546) results in “NO”, then the branch terminates at “END” (558) and a new loop begins at “START” (502).
The spray control logic then proceeds to determine whether the spray feature is enabled or not (804). If the feature is not enabled, leading to a “NO” result, the control logic will proceed to “END” (818). If the spray feature is found to be enabled, leading to a “YES” result, the spray control logic proceeds to undertake a systems and function check (806) to look/search for errors before activating the spraying of water. For example, outdoor sensor limits, condenser temperature (562), water pump (312) resistance and condensation water reservoir (310) sensors are checked in this systems and function check (806). If any errors are found, the errors are recorded (808) and the control logic proceeds to “END” (818). If no errors are found, then the spray control logic proceeds to determine whether the outdoor temperature, “Tout” (561), is below a minimum ambient temperature, “Tamb Min”, to safely pump water (810). In some implementations, this check is performed to ensure that the sprayed water does not freeze if freezing conditions prevail. If the outdoor temperature, “Tout” (561), is below a minimum ambient temperature, “Tamb Min”, leading to a “YES” result, the control logic will proceed to “END” (818) and terminate.
The stored clock reset value (814) is then used by the spray control logic (816) to determine the most beneficial time to spray water on a condenser (304) so as to improve, maximize, or optimize the disclosed air-conditioning system's energy efficiency and/or savings. The spray logic system's output (816) determines the most beneficial time during a day or a night to safely activate the system and spray water (316) on a condenser (304). This output is based on whether the spray feature is enabled or not, the condenser temperature, “Tcondenser” (562), the clock setting based on a time corresponding to the maximum temperature reached during a day as shown in
In some implementations, the optimal time at which the water spray system must be activated (316) is determined through a spray control logic process outlined in
In some implementations, during peak daytime hours, indoor air is recirculated by turning on an interior intake fan (204), configuring interior air diverter valve (206) in Position A (208) and exterior intake valve (212) in Position 2 (216), and turning off an exterior intake fan (218). In some implementations, during evening hours, when the outdoor air temperature falls below the indoor air temperature (102), interior air diverter valve (206) is configured in Position B (210) to vent warm indoor air to the outside. In this scenario, exterior intake valve (212) is configured in Position 1 (214), and the exterior intake fan (218) is turned on to draw in cool outdoor air via the evaporator (220). In some implementations, once the outdoor air temperature rises above the indoor air temperature (104), interior air diverter valve (206) is configured in Position A (208) and exterior intake valve (212) in Position 2 (216), and the exterior intake fan (218) is turned off. In this case, the interior intake fan (204) is switched on to draw indoor air via the evaporator (220).
In some implementations, the control logic for determining whether to draw air into an air-conditioning system from an indoor air source or an outdoor air source is based on user selection or options selected by a user. In some implementations, whether and when to spray condensate water on a condenser (304) is based on user selection or options selected by a user.
In some implementations, the control logic determines the duration for which water may be sprayed on a condenser (304) from the condensation water reservoir (310). In other implementations, a user may determine the duration for which such water may be sprayed.
It will also be appreciated that the interior intake fans, interior air diverter valves, exterior intake fans, exterior intake valves, condensation collectors, condensation water reservoirs, water pumps, water spray nozzles, condensers, evaporators, compressors, intake flaps, temperature sensors, control logic, air-conditioners, and air-conditioning systems described herein are for illustration purposes only and not intended to be limiting. Other types of interior intake fans, interior air diverter valves, exterior intake fans, exterior intake valves, condensation collectors, condensation water reservoirs, water pumps, water spray nozzles, condensers, evaporators, compressors, intake flaps, temperature sensors, control logic, air-conditioners, and air-conditioning systems may or can be used depending on a contemplated implementation.
It is therefore apparent that there is provided, in accordance with the various example implementations disclosed herein, methods and systems relating to dual-source air intake air-conditioners and methods and systems for using condensate water to boost energy efficiency.
While some example implementations have been described in terms of a general embodiment with several specific example modifications, it is recognized that other modifications, implementations, and variations of the embodiments described above are within the spirit and scope of the disclosed subject matter. Applicant intends to embrace any and all such modifications, variations, embodiments, and implementations in this application.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Application No. 63/251,683, entitled “Dual-Source Intake Air-Conditioning Systems,” and filed on Oct. 3, 2021, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Number | Date | Country | |
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63251683 | Oct 2021 | US |